Just hang in there keep being as involved as you can - join as many relevant societies as you can afford- particularly IEEM, go to the workshops and conferences (which are often on weekends) again as many as you can and network as much as you can (try not to rant in their general direction!).
Perhaps specify that you don't have consultancy report writing experiance but append a report from your Uni work. Perhaps even knock up a fake report using the data from your field work.
Regarding fieldwork closer to home, find out who your county council uses to manage its roads (specifically the soft estate- verges trees etc) and contact them see if they have work. Also for major motorways see who is the Highways Agency soft estate management contractors and do the same with them. Check with local developers and see who they use for their ecology work and contact them, be proactive - it can't hurt. Also don't contact them just once, do it every couple of months or even more during the field season. put a reminder in your diary to do so.
We are rather now at the end of the field season (unless you can do birds) so perhaps concentrate on the conferences and workshops and then chase the fieldwork again come January / February when companies will be programming in their newt surveys etc....
I have been there myself and I know its difficult - I have done my fair share of 'manual labour' as its part of the job I'm afraid - I still do the odd bit now nine years into the job! (though I admit what was being asked of you was a little extreme) one day you'll get there - it may be as much luck as hard work, but that's the way life works.
Hope this helps.